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Dallas Cowboys Look to Save Season Against Atlanta Falcons

November 2nd, 2012 at 8:44 AM By Nick Sharp

At 3-4, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves tied for 2nd place in the NFC East. Yet, at this point in the season, nobody is looking at that as a success. The Cowboys are a full 2.5 games behind the New York Giants and 1.5 games behind the Green Bay Packers in the Wildcard standings. Can the Cowboys still make the playoffs? Yes. Do they need to beat the Falcons come this Sunday night to do so? Probably.

Regardless of whether you believe in this team or not, the reality still is that there's a long way to go in this season. We haven't even seen half of this team's games yet this year, and that's both promising and terrifying at the same time. Glass-half-full people believe that this unit can still turn things around and get themselves into the playoff race. Glass-half-empty people believe that a loss to the Falcons will simply expedite the downward spiral that this team feels like it's on a verge of falling into.

What do we think? The odds sure do seemed stacked against the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. They have to play the last undefeated team in the league, the Atlanta Falcons. They have to go to Atlanta to do it, a place that nobody has had any luck playing against Matt Ryan. And they also have to do it in primetime, under the lights that have been so unkind to them in recent memory. Sure seems like a lot to overcome.

And that's exactly why we like the Dallas Cowboys to win this Sunday. That's just how this season has been going. Exactly when you think something's wrapped up or out of reach, the improbable happens. The Cowboys just have a way of sprinting towards a cliff, only to stop mere centimeters before the edge. If they lose, the season will likely be thrown over that cliff. 5 losses in 8 games is just too much of a hill to climb. The Giants and the Wildcard foes are simply too tough to try and recover such a major margin against in a short time.

Yet, if they win, the suffering will continue on. The Cowboys will have proven beyond any doubt that they can play with any team in this league. They proved it against the Giants and the Ravens, and if they're to win Sunday will need to do it again vs. the Falcons. If they win, they'll still be within striking distance of the division and the Wildcard. If they win, they'll keep that maddening glimmer of hope alive for their fans, and that's why they'll likely win. This team has a way of doing just enough to keep the fan base from taking the plunge. And we like them to continue that trend this Sunday.

With their backs against the wall, this team has risen to the occasion in the past. It's just a matter of how high they can rise. This team will not quit on Garrett like they did on Wade Phillips a few years back. There is simply too much pride in Jason Witten's left pinky finger alone to let that happen again. Garrett will have the troops ready to fight this Sunday. Can they muster enough to dethrone the current kings of the NFL? If they don't have enough, it'll make this a lot easier the rest of the way. That's exactly why we think they do have enough.

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